Pages

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Favorite Things

"When the dog bites,
When the bee stings,
When I'm feeling sad,
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don't feel so bad..."

After spending the day feeling lazy, apathetic, sad, depressed, frustrated, discouraged, upset, pensive, etc. I went outside for something and got that wonderful sensation that comes from enjoying the still night air.. It's not fully dark, but the heat has gone away. A touch of humidity.. calm, peaceful.. cicadas, crickets in the trees and grass..

So I thought I would take a moment to write a quick list of a few of my favorite things, as follows:
(in order of coming to mind)

Still night air
The vibrance of spring
Friends who are better than me at "everything"
Spending time with such friends
Close friendships
Listening to beautiful music
Singing
Taking/developing portraits
Watching ants and other small creatures
Learning that I was wrong, coming to a better understanding
Watching children or animals at play
85mm f/1.8 (the lens it's self, as much as the pictures it takes)
Things that work for their intended purpose
Information - on anything
Independence
Simplicity
Cooperative analysis of a subject
Listening to those who get it explain Christianity
Community
Reading an interesting book
Working in solitude
Shade in summer
Warm food in winter
Hot showers
Smiles
Planning obsessively
A clean kitchen
Introspection
Feeling wanted/needed
Flexibility
Friendly people
Other people cooking for me (:D)
Internet (!!!)
iPhone
Mobility
The ability to process the world around me
Certainty
Electricity
A conceptual understanding of how things work
The ability to talk to people over long distances
Slip on footware
Efficiency
The ability to see, hear, feel, smell, taste
The transportation infrastructure (aka, roads, highways..)
Intellectual freedom
Fire
Cool water on a hot day
Sleeping in total darkness
Instant messaging/email
The ability to communicate
Creating something

I could keep writing, but ideas are beginning to come slower, and anyway, that's not a bad list.

It would be interesting to do this exercise again in a year and see how much has changed.